On Friday, November 8, at 6:30 p.m., Native Braids will host a podcast performance with Ross Anderson at the Center of Southwest Studies. The audio story, performed live, charts Anderson's journey from his childhood in Durango, Colorado, to his induction into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, the first Native American skier to receive that honor.
Growing up in Durango, Colorado, Ross Anderson (Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache) took to skiing well and easily. By the time he was ten years old, Anderson knew he was talented.
“I had rhythm,” recalls Anderson. “I wasn’t afraid to make a line that goes vertical all the way down the mountain, and I lived to go fast.”
Even as he excelled on the slopes, Anderson struggled personally with his racial identity.
“As a teenager, it was difficult,” said Anderson. “Getting teased because you’re darker than the other people, and the worst of the worst was using sandpaper or pumice stone on skin to make it lighter. I did that a few times.”
But local skiers encouraged and supported Anderson. Dale Womack, a World Cup speed skier himself, recognized Anderson’s strength and fearlessness would make him a good speed ski racer.
“I remember bumping into him,” recalled Womack. “And I said, ‘You know Ross, you’d probably be pretty good at speed skiing. Let’s get you set up with some gear and get you to a couple of races.’”
Anderson went on to compete internationally, and in April 2006, he set a US record, clocking 154.06 miles per hour in Les Arcs, France.
It's a record that still holds today. In March 2024, Ross Anderson was inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for his enduring record and ongoing efforts to promote access to skiing for Native Americans.
In the coming weeks, Native Braids, the storytelling project created by independent producer Adam Burke and KSUT Tribal Radio, will begin releasing a series of long-form stories in podcast form alongside several live events.
Join Adam Burke and Kirbie Bennett (who also collaborate on the Magic City Podcast) for our first live performance of Anderson’s story, followed by a Q&A with Ross Anderson.
The event is co-sponsored by the Center of Southwest Studies.
